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Friday, 26 September 2014

A Functional Travel Wardrobe

As in my day-to-day life, I've been trying to make my travel wardrobe a functional wardrobe.

This is not just because I've had enough of carrying heavy suitcases, but mostly because I think that holidays are better spent enjoying the moment, not wasting time wondering what to wear.

I recently spent a few days in Paris. I took with me exactly 5 outfits - one for each day I was there, plus travel day. It turned out that even that was one outfit too many. It never got cool enough to wear my long sleeve black dress.

That was fine because, with an ever more functional wardrobe, most items I took with me could easily be mixed and matched to create a new combination if need be.

I didn't always pack this way in the past, and pretty much always ended up overpacking. But this time around I decided to put some thought into it:

how many days I'd be away

what I was going for

what the weather would be like

With the answers to these questions a starting point, I made a list of the items I thought would work, including shoes and accessories. I worked on that list, trimming it and writing down possible outfit combinations. A few days before packing, I laid out the outfits and removed anything that appeared unnecessary (a foulard here, a cardigan there).

And that's how I ended up with a perfectly functional travel wardrobe and a light suitcase, with plenty of room for some annual shopping. What are your favourite tips for packing lightly?